Seven killed in cargo plane crash in Siberia-UPDATED-1

Seven killed in cargo plane crash in Siberia-UPDATED-1
# 03 November 2021 20:22 (UTC +04:00)

A Belarussian-owned cargo plane crash-landed in Siberia and burst into flames, killing all seven people on board, after disappearing from radar just outside the city of Irkutsk, officials said, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Russia's federal aviation agency Rosaviatsiya said the Antonov An-12 plane, owned by Belarussian company Grodno, circled around after first coming in to land, at which point communication was lost.

"The only thing we can see is that, unfortunately, everyone is dead," said Igor Kobzev, the regional governor of Irkutsk.

Video footage from the scene showed rescuers battling to put out the flames, illuminated by torchlight in pitch black, snowy conditions. The local branch of the Russian Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case over violation of transport safety rules.

Belarussian authorities said the plane had been manned by an experienced crew of three Belarussians, two Russians and two Ukrainians, who had all died, and there had been no cargo on board.

Air accidents are not uncommon across the former Soviet Union, especially involving ageing planes in far-flung regions.

18:22

Five bodies have been found on the crash site of an An-12 cargo plane in Russia’s Siberian Irkutsk region, a source in the local emergencies services told TASS on Wednesday, APA reports.

"All those who were aboard the plane died. Five bodies have been found by now. The search operation continues," the source said.

According to Russia’s emergencies ministry, there were seven people aboard the plane. The regional authorities said they were crew members.

Radio contact with an An-12 plane of the Grodno air company, which was carrying food products, was lost at 14:45 Moscow time. The plane was later found near the village of Pivovarikha, seven kilometers of Irkutsk. The crash was followed by fire.

***16:55

A Russian An-12 transport plane en route from Yakutsk to Irkutsk went missing on Wednesday, a spokesperson from the emergency services told, APA reports citing Sputnik.

"At 14:50 Moscow time [11:50 GMT], an An-12 aircraft, flying from Yakutsk and Irkutsk, disappeared from the radar", the spokesperson said.

The Emergencies Ministry confirmed that the plane went missing and said that there were eight people on board.

The ministry later said that the crash site had been detected by rescuers as being near Irkutsk, and the plane is on fire. According to the ministry, at least two people were killed in the crash, while the fate of 5 people remains uncertain.

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